Mistaken Identities and a Madcap Story Fuel an Opera’s Comic Plot

“L’Étoile,” the comic opera featuring Julie Boulianne, center, is a production of New York City Opera at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Credit
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Emmanuel Chabrier has long been remembered primarily for his orchestral work “España,” but in recent years the spotlight has shifted to “L’Étoile,” his three-act gem of a comic opera. The work’s charming contours are revealed in Mark Lamos’s vibrant production, which returned to New York City Opera on Thursday evening to open the company’s spring season.

The plot of mistaken identities is wacky, even by operatic standards. King Ouf wants to celebrate his birthday by impaling a subject and wanders the city in disguise, seeking a potential victim. He finds one in the peddler Lazuli, who loves the visiting princess Laoula, whom the king himself wants to marry. Lazuli is saved when Siroco, the court astrologer, says that King Ouf’s fate is bound with Lazuli’s. Other comic characters include Hérisson de Porc-Épic, an ambassador who pretends to be married to Laoula; Aloès, his flirtatious real wife; and Tapioca, his secretary.

Emmanuel Plasson conducted a lithe rendition of the sophisticated and harmonically rich score, whose admirers have included Stravinsky and Ravel. The orchestra that played during the premiere run in 1877 at Offenbach’s Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens resented the complexity of the score, which they found harder to play than their usual fare.

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Jean-Paul Fouchécourt and Jennifer Zetlan in “L’Etoile.”Credit
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

The opera is full of inventive and colorful music, like a trio in which Laoula and Aloès tickle the sleeping Lazuli. A song that celebrates the merits of green Chartreuse parodies Italian opera, and a sparkling green curtain swaying in the background here adds to the inebriated mood.

Mr. Lamos’s vivid staging, with sets by Andrew Lieberman and costumes by Constance Hoffman, is inspired by Toulouse-Lautrec and distinguished by its vibrant use of color. The spare sets are enlivened with quirky props, like an enormous yellow armchair throne, and Robert Wierzel’s dramatic lighting. Period garb is intermingled with contemporary touches, like King Ouf’s enormous white coat, which makes him look like a rapper. Seán Curran’s witty cancan choreography completes the attractive production.

The opera is presented in the original French, and the cast acted well during the long sections of spoken dialogue. But the singing was sometimes uneven.

The tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt offered a dramatically and vocally strong performance as King Ouf, singing with flair during the zany impalement song. Julie Boulianne brought boyish charm to the pants role of Lazuli but often failed to project. Jennifer Zetlan sounded radiant as Laoula.

William Ferguson conveyed the pompous Hérisson de Porc-Épic with suitably arrogant demeanor. The smaller roles were convincingly portrayed, with Liza Forrester as the saucy Aloès, Andrew Drost as Tapioca and François Loup as Siroco.

“L’Étoile” continues through April 1 at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center; (212) 870-5570, nycopera.com.

A version of this review appears in print on March 20, 2010, on page C5 of the National edition with the headline: Mistaken Identities and a Madcap Story Fuel an Opera’s Comic Plot. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe